Looks like multi-room AirPlay just got further away

One of the best features for Apple’s new HomePod appears to
be facing some big delays.

AirPlay 2.0 promises to give
HomePod users the ability to stream the same song to
different devices in different rooms from a single iPhone.
But with the release of iOS 11.3 beta 3 this morning, Apple
has decided to pull the feature from testing.

The functionality of AirPlay 2.0 was pretty buggy in the
first two beta builds of iOS 11.3. Apple removed it in the
latest betas of iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3 that came out today.
There’s no word on if the feature will make it into future
builds of iOS 11.3 before it is released to the public in the
next few weeks.

HomePod
owners will be especially disappointed by AirPlay 2.0’s
delay. Until AirPlay 2.0 comes out, you won’t be able to pair
two of Apple’s new smart speakers together so they play
stereo sound or multi-room audio.

AirPlay
2.0 also works with the Apple TV. The feature can be used to
play audio through your TV, HomePod and other AirPlay devices
all at once.
Third-party speakers are also allowed to take advantage
of AirPlay 2.0.

Apple never
gave an exact release date on AirPlay 2.0, but it is listed
among the major selling features of the HomePod. The company
has only said that the feature will be available “later this
year.”